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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a 1597 tragedy play by William Shakespeare. It was one of the first-known plays written by the Bard early in his writing career, and is even considered to be one of his most famous works. The two titular characters, who fall in love with each other despite their opposite families' feud with each other, has since become one of the most iconic fictional couples of all time. Plot summary In Verona, Italy, an ongoing feud between two noble families, the Montague's and Capulet's, disrupts the town's peace when a brawl breaks out between the servants of the families. Verona's leader, Prince Escalus, breaks up the fights and threatens death to anyone if the violence happens again. The Montague's 16-year-old son, Romeo, is in love with another woman named Rosaline, which makes him feel depressed. His friend, Benvolio, tries to console him but Romeo still remains despondent. Meanwhile, the Capulet's hold a masquerade party every year, and everyone in Verona is invited except the Montague's. Their 13-year old daughter, Juliet, is almost ready to marry and the Prince's kinsman Paris is interested in Juliet and wants her to be his wife. Once the party starts, Romeo and Benvolio, along with Romeo's cousin Mercutio, sneak into the party to find Rosaline and see if Romeo really is worthy of her. But the moment Romeo sees Juliet, he immediately forgets about Rosaline and instantly falls in love with the Capulet girl. The two of them flirt and kiss with each other, but become distraught when they found out they are related to both rival families. But Romeo is so headstrong on Juliet that when he hears her speak about her forbidden romance, he comes out of his hiding spot and exchange vows of love. The next day, with the help of a Franciscan monk Friar Lawrence and Juliet's Nurse, Romeo secretly marries Juliet, in hopes that their marriage would end their families' feud. The same day, Mercutio and Benvolio encounter Juliet's cousin Tybalt, who is enraged that Romeo had shown up at the Capulet party and he challenges him to a duel. But when Romeo appears, he attempts to avoid conflict, until Mercutio steps in and decides to fight Tybalt himself. Romeo tries to break up the fight, but Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo then kills Tybalt himself in a rage before he flees. The Prince finds out about the crimes and declares Romeo to be exiled from Verona. Juliet is heartbroken that her cousin is dead, but is relieved that her husband is still alive and must stay loyal to him. Friar Lawrence helps Romeo spends his wedding night with Juliet before he leaves for Mantua the next day. The death of Tybalt affects the Capulet's, and decide that their daughter must marry Paris instead. Juliet didn't want the idea of marrying another man since she is already married. After the Nurse tells Juliet to marry Paris and forget Romeo, she goes to Friar Lawrence for some advice, and the friar gives her a potion to drink that will put her into a deathlike sleep, and after she is placed in the family crypt, she would wake up and be taken to be Mantua where she would be reunited with her husband. Upon learning that the wedding will take place the next day, Juliet drinks the potion the night before and the Capulet's awaken to find her dead. They grieve and place her in the Capulet tomb, while the friar tries to send a message to Romeo in Mantua about Juliet, but he only hears the news that she is dead. Grief-stricken, he purchases a vial of poison, arrives at the Capulet tomb where he kills Paris, and sneaks into the tomb, where he drinks the poison and dies next to Juliet. Shortly afterwards, Juliet awakens and finds Romeo's body, then the friar appears to tell her what had happened just as the watch is approaching. He begs Juliet to come with him, but she refuses. Juliet kills herself with Romeo's dagger in order to be with him. The Prince and the two families arrive, and Friar Lawrence tells them the whole story. The families are heartbroken, but finally agree to end their longtime feud and decide to place golden statues of their children in their honour. Characters Romeo Montague- The son of the Montague family. He is a handsome 16-year-old who is wanting love since he had desires for another young woman named Rosaline. But as soon as he first meets Juliet, he immediately falls in love with her. He doesn't hardly take any part in his family's feud with his lover's family the Capulet's, and he just cannot bear to live without her. Juliet Capulet- The daughter of the Capulet family. She is a beautiful 13-year-old who starts off as a naïve child knowing very little about love and marriage. Once she meets Romeo, the son of her father's mortal enemy, she becomes a rebellious woman who would do anything to be with the man she loves; even if it means casting her strict family out of her life. Friar Laurence- A Franciscan monk, who is a good friend and confessor to Romeo and Juliet. He assists in their plan to have their union bring peace to Verona and to their families. He marries the lovers secretly and tries to help them reunite, but his ideas resulted in tragic consequences. He is a kind and religious man, yet some of the decisions he makes are not very helpful. Mercutio- A kinsman to the Prince and Romeo's close friend. He tries to convince his friend to forget about his lovesickness and enjoy life. He is a wild and brooding young man who enjoys mentioning sexual jokes. Yet he is also devoted and protective of Romeo, so when he saw Tybalt challenging Romeo to a fight, he impatiently intervenes and does the duel himself, but was killed. Writing History/Reception Themes Symbols Category:Shakespeare plays Category:Tragedy plays Category:British Literature Category:Plays Category:Romance novels